Can someone familiar with the matter explain the situation with American troops and ISIS? We are currently just attacking them with long range artillery and air support, right? Or are our troops doing more than that? I’m not dissing this picture or anything but unfortunately we don’t have a forum to discuss things and I’m kinda ignorant on what were doing to combat Isis
We’re pretending to combat ISIS on the world-stage in the hope that the rest of the world forgets that it was america that funded,and effectively created, isis in order to destabilize the local regime so as to gain access to their resources. Well didn’t all this backfire just wonderfully?
It’s the same person trolling pretending to be a feminist as the other couple accounts that have been blackballed. Apparently he gets off to it or something because he does it non-stop and not one person has ever found him funny.
All I know is that we have a small number of Marines over there training some of the Iraqi police forces. Anything that is going on besides that is beyond me.
Currently, we’re in “advise and assist” mode, similar to the situation in Vietnam under Eisenhower and JFK. Syria doesn’t have actual troops training either the FSA or SAA, but has airstrikes as well. The current issue is that given that the cuts in both the active and reserve components of the military and the comparably sophisticated nature of ISIS (using the Army as an example, both active and reserve components in a worst-case scenario would be down to 700,000 from around 1.2-1.4 million total, also, ISIS is mechanized, unlike al Qaeda or the Taliban), can the US deploy enough troops to defeat ISIS and deter other potential threats (read: Russia, Iran, China, North Korea, in no particular order.)
In my opinion, yes we could go over there and completely destroy the members of ISIS on their home turf but the idea of ISIS will exist for years to come. I mean shit we have “Americans” pledging their alliance to ISIS here in the states. You can always beat a population with firepower but it’s next to impossible to kill an idea.
Yeah, but you have to remember that our military is still doctrinally required to win two major regional wars at one time in addition to defending the homeland. Sure, we could defeat ISIS, readiness problems or not. But could we do that without having to pull troops from the Pacific or Europe? I doubt it. Add in the potential for Ukraine to become even more of a shitshow than it already is, instability in the Eurozone, and the deal with Iran going tits up, and that means using troops we don’t have. And there’s no way that anyone will suggest bringing back the draft in an election season.
I would hope, that after the atrocities ISIS has committed, that there would be a generous amount of NATO allied contribution as well. And I don’t think a politician would have the balls to call for a draft even if it wasn’t an election season. Thank yall for shedding some light on the situation. I knew we had “advisors and support” but the news doesn’t really report on anything more than that besides ISIS’s gains and losses.
Well, you’ve got Charlie Rangel, but that’s more a disparate-impact/social justice thing than out of any specific military necessity. He introduces a bill to reactivate it every few years and every time it dies in committee.
It’s also not like he has to worry about reelection (incumbent black Democrat in a black Democrat district).
We don’t have a SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) with Iraq like we did prior to 2011. Iraqi leadership wanted US Forces out of Iraq (it wasn’t Obama’s move…Bush Jr started this before he left office starting in 2007) so we are there to train an already out-classed Iraqi Army. We provide equipment, weapons, training support, but my guys won’t be leaving the wire to conduct kinetic operations but we will provide Air Support (fast air not rotary) and we’ll provide Unmanned Aerial Support as well (Preds/Reapers/Grey Eagle). Is it working? Hard to say because we aren’t conducting Battle Damage Assessments like we should be because we aren’t putting Joe out there to count the bad guys gone to terrorist asshole heaven. We are asking a lot from local assets and an Iraq Army that is being hit with an adversary completely dedicated to advancing their radical Islam beliefs and killing (quite publically) anyone not supportive to their regime. From Active Duty O-3.
Can someone familiar with the matter explain the situation with American troops and ISIS? We are currently just attacking them with long range artillery and air support, right? Or are our troops doing more than that? I’m not dissing this picture or anything but unfortunately we don’t have a forum to discuss things and I’m kinda ignorant on what were doing to combat Isis
10 years ago at 1:18 pmWe’re pretending to combat ISIS on the world-stage in the hope that the rest of the world forgets that it was america that funded,and effectively created, isis in order to destabilize the local regime so as to gain access to their resources. Well didn’t all this backfire just wonderfully?
10 years ago at 1:32 pmI honestly don’t know if what you’re saying has any truth to it. But, I can already tell I don’t like you.
10 years ago at 1:34 pmIt’s the same person trolling pretending to be a feminist as the other couple accounts that have been blackballed. Apparently he gets off to it or something because he does it non-stop and not one person has ever found him funny.
10 years ago at 2:14 pmOkay yeah,if everyone just like stopped accusing me of being radfem that’d be nice. (and she’s not blackballed fyi)
10 years ago at 2:17 pmAll I know is that we have a small number of Marines over there training some of the Iraqi police forces. Anything that is going on besides that is beyond me.
10 years ago at 2:17 pmCurrently, we’re in “advise and assist” mode, similar to the situation in Vietnam under Eisenhower and JFK. Syria doesn’t have actual troops training either the FSA or SAA, but has airstrikes as well. The current issue is that given that the cuts in both the active and reserve components of the military and the comparably sophisticated nature of ISIS (using the Army as an example, both active and reserve components in a worst-case scenario would be down to 700,000 from around 1.2-1.4 million total, also, ISIS is mechanized, unlike al Qaeda or the Taliban), can the US deploy enough troops to defeat ISIS and deter other potential threats (read: Russia, Iran, China, North Korea, in no particular order.)
Sorry for the wall of text.
10 years ago at 2:27 pmIn my opinion, yes we could go over there and completely destroy the members of ISIS on their home turf but the idea of ISIS will exist for years to come. I mean shit we have “Americans” pledging their alliance to ISIS here in the states. You can always beat a population with firepower but it’s next to impossible to kill an idea.
10 years ago at 2:36 pmYeah, but you have to remember that our military is still doctrinally required to win two major regional wars at one time in addition to defending the homeland. Sure, we could defeat ISIS, readiness problems or not. But could we do that without having to pull troops from the Pacific or Europe? I doubt it. Add in the potential for Ukraine to become even more of a shitshow than it already is, instability in the Eurozone, and the deal with Iran going tits up, and that means using troops we don’t have. And there’s no way that anyone will suggest bringing back the draft in an election season.
10 years ago at 2:45 pmMakes you wonder why we are cutting our military down in times like these but that’s above my pay grade I guess.
10 years ago at 2:49 pmI would hope, that after the atrocities ISIS has committed, that there would be a generous amount of NATO allied contribution as well. And I don’t think a politician would have the balls to call for a draft even if it wasn’t an election season. Thank yall for shedding some light on the situation. I knew we had “advisors and support” but the news doesn’t really report on anything more than that besides ISIS’s gains and losses.
10 years ago at 4:51 pmWell, you’ve got Charlie Rangel, but that’s more a disparate-impact/social justice thing than out of any specific military necessity. He introduces a bill to reactivate it every few years and every time it dies in committee.
It’s also not like he has to worry about reelection (incumbent black Democrat in a black Democrat district).
10 years ago at 5:00 pmWe don’t have a SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) with Iraq like we did prior to 2011. Iraqi leadership wanted US Forces out of Iraq (it wasn’t Obama’s move…Bush Jr started this before he left office starting in 2007) so we are there to train an already out-classed Iraqi Army. We provide equipment, weapons, training support, but my guys won’t be leaving the wire to conduct kinetic operations but we will provide Air Support (fast air not rotary) and we’ll provide Unmanned Aerial Support as well (Preds/Reapers/Grey Eagle). Is it working? Hard to say because we aren’t conducting Battle Damage Assessments like we should be because we aren’t putting Joe out there to count the bad guys gone to terrorist asshole heaven. We are asking a lot from local assets and an Iraq Army that is being hit with an adversary completely dedicated to advancing their radical Islam beliefs and killing (quite publically) anyone not supportive to their regime. From Active Duty O-3.
10 years ago at 7:03 pm